Method of cleansing oil-wells.



NO. 780,279. PATENTED JAN. 17, 1905. W E. GARDNER. METHOD OF CLEANSING OIL WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 10, 1904.

tain new and useful Improvements in ing is a full, clear, and exact specific channels through which the crude oii UN TED STATES Patented January 17, ieoe.

PATENT fitmen WlLLTAM EDWARD GARDNER, OT PTTTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSTGNQR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO FRANL THQMPSUN, 0F CHICAGO, lLLINOllS.

METHD @F @LEANSQNG @fiL WELLSa SPEIFICATION forming of ILet'ters Patent ,No. 2'8 ,279, dated January 17, 1905.

Application filed Satchel" 3.0, 1904;. Serial 1 lo- 227,S5l.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EDWARD GARD- NER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have inven cerof Cleansing Gil-Wells, of which the 1 The object of myinvention is so clean the walls of the bore of the oil strata of an oil-well, so as to remove lidified paraflin or other base of the or which dams up and chokes the passap naturally flows into-the well. This T accomplish by a process which heats and causes the ebul" lition of the fluid that accumulates the well and confines and causes the steam generated thereby to expand against and eat its way into the surrounding accumulations of obstructing material in the bore of the oil-bearing strata of the well, and thus removes the same, substantiallyas hereinafter fuiiy described and as particularly pointed out the 'tical section of the heater used in connection therewith. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of the portion of the plug or well-packing and coupling" used in connection therewith.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the bore of a well the walls of which may, if de sired, be lined by suitable pipes or tubes down as far as the oil-bearing stata of the well. My invention necessitates ametal pipe B of smaller diameterto be inserted down into the well, that has its lower end tapped into asuitable head 6, which latter is provided with circumferential flanges c and with a plug d, extending downward centrally therefrom, that is tapped into the upper end of asection of pipe 6, extending down into the oil-bearing strata of the well, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The bore of the well above the head 6 is separated from the portion of the same beiow said head by a packing U, which surrounds the upper end of the section of pipee and fills thespace between the outer circumthe of my invention from the space'below said packing.

The pipe 6 extends down into the oil-bearing strata the well, preferably to a point near the bottom of the same, where it is tapped into the u er reduced end of a hollow chamber D, constituting the boiling-chamber of theheater used in connection withmy invention and provides a support for the circumferential casing E of the resistance material surrounding the same. The lower end of chamberl) is likewise reduced, preferably in the same manner as its upper end, and has tapped into the same a perforated intake-pipe F, the iower end of which is preferably closed.

The plug d of the head 6 has a small vertical opening therein for the downward passage therethrough of an insulated positive wire f of an electric circuit whose lower end at a point just above the heater extends laterally out througha suitable opening in the side of the pipe 6 and is connected to a suitable binding-post g, tapped into the upper end of the resistance material of the heater at a suitable point. The lower edge of the resistancecasing E has a binding-post h tapped into it, and an insulated negative wire G connects said binding-post with the perforated intake F. The metal pipe of my invention forms the negative leg of the electric circuit.

In operation. when the current is turned on the resistance-casing E becomes highly heated,

and the fluid which accumulates in the oi l-bearing strata of the well and fills the chamber D soon becomes sufiiciently heated for it to flow upward through the pipe 6 to a point just be: low the packing C, where it passes out of the elongated perforations jin the sides of the pipe into the space between the same and the walls of the well, where, becomingcooler, it gravitates downward to the bottom of the well and is then drawn into the intake and caused to circulate the'same as before. When this fluid becomes sufficiently heated to gen- I strata to the action Patent should be read with this correction erate steam, the circulation and agitation of the fluid and steam in the oil-bearing strata are very great and soften and looscnthe parai fin or other base of the oil and work their way into the surrounding oil-bearing earth and thoroughly cleanse the passages and channels leading" therefrom into the well to such an extent as to cause the well to fiow again in as great or greater quantity as originally.

The apparatus hereinbefore described for accomplishing my improved process is made the subject-matter ot a separate application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me December 8, 190%,Serial No. 235,985.

What I claim as new is- 1.. The method of cleansing oil-wells which consists of first closing the bore of the well at a suitable point adjacent to the upper end of the oil-bearing strata and then subjecting the walls of the bore thereof in the oil-bearing of heated fiuid.

2. The method of cleansing oil-wells which consists of first closing the bore of the well at a suitable point adjacent to the upper end of It is hereby certified that the name of granted January 17, 1905, upon the application burg, Pennsylvania, for an. improvement in erroneously written and printed shoiild have been written and printed Frank D.

record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 2d day of May,

[SEAL.]

a suitable point adjacen the assignee in Letters Patent No.

Frank D. Thompson,

therein that the same may confer the oil-bearing strata and then subjecting" the walls of the bore thereof in the oil-bearing strata to the action of heated fluid and steam.

3. The method of cleansing oil-wells which consists of first closing the bore of the well at t to the upper end of the oil-bearing strata and then subjecting the walls of the bore thereof in the oil-bearing strata to the action of a body of constantlymoving heated fluid.

l. The method of cleansing oil-wells which consists of first closing the bore of the well at a suitable point adjacent to the upper end of the oil-bearing strata and then subjecting the bore thereof in the oil-bearing strata to the action of a body of constantly-moving heated fiuid the central portion of which moves up-- ward and the outer portion downward.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of October, A. l). 190%.

WILlilAlll EDWARD GARDNER.

Witnesses:

FRANK D. THOMASON, E. K. LUNDY.

of William Edward Gardner, of Pitts- Wlethods of Cleansing Oil-Wells/ was whereas the said name Thomason; and that the said Letters to the r. 1. AL

Commissioner of Patents. 

